Photo/Illutration Yellow sand is observed in Osaka on April 12. (Masaru Komiyaji)

Poverty was still very much on display when I went to study in China in the early 1990s.

I believe I learned many things from my stay, including the sheer vastness of the continent and the depth of human sentiment.

When the time came for me to return to Japan, I decided to travel by ship. I wanted to intuit what the Chinese mean when they say their nation and Japan are "separated only by a narrow strip of water."

It was a day-and-a-half journey from Shanghai in a swaying cabin where I heard the clacking of mah-jongg tiles being shuffled.

The port of Kobe came into view in the morning. 

In China, train rides lasting three days and three nights are not rare. Compared to such distances, I definitely felt how close Japan was to China.

Since then, one night has come to represent my vague sense of distance between the two countries.

This year's yellow sand season has arrived. I understand that the dust that was assailing Beijing until April 11 traveled to Japan on April 12. It appears to take the yellow sand only one night to cross the sea, too.

It's a nuisance that pollutes the sky and affects people's health.

Some people here must find this annoying, but it is a serious issue for people in China as well.

The yellow dust is called "shachenbao,” or dust storm. Its grains are coarser than sand in Japan and do greater damage. The Japanese expression "kojin banjo," which describes a cloud of yellow dust soaring into the sky, is no exaggeration.

Looking around the world, there are many nations plagued by damage from dust storms originating from deserts.

But on the other hand, the blown sand can accumulate and fertilize the soil, while the sand falling into the sea benefits aquatic creatures.

The movement of sand is a vital natural phenomenon that nurtures our planet.

A haiku by Kokyu Takasaki goes to the effect, "Through the sky/ We are connected to the nation of yellow sand."

Relations between Japan and China often get testy, but the sand knows no borders. Gazing up at the sky that has turned hazy overnight, I thought of our proximity to China.

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 13

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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